Slowly but surely, the Halo Mega Bloks 2013 sets are starting to trickle into stores! We just learned the full details of the Halo Mega Bloks UNSC Combat Orange Unit 97083 and Covenant Combat Cobalt Unit 97084 last week, and now they’ve already started making their first appearances at retail!

When I posted the specs for the Halo Mega Bloks UNSC Combat Orange Unit last week, I really wasn’t expecting it to turn up at retail for several more weeks, but MEGA Brands slipped this one right past me.

I’ve got a thing for orange, and own every orange Spartan ever put out in the McFarlane Halo figures and Halo Mega Bloks lines, so this was certainly my most-anticipated Combat Unit ever. I’m not entirely thrilled to get another orange Spartan Mark VI (it was a common pull in the Halo Mega Bloks Series 3 Hero Packs blind bags), but I’m really happy to get orange Spartan EOD and Scout figures. You can check out the available UNSC Orange Combat Unit listings right here, although the prices are somewhat higher than I’d be happy to pay for the set right now.

The Covenant Cobalt Combat Unit… ehhhh… this I’m not too crazy about. The Active Camo Grunt is kind of novel, but I hate seeing that old-style Brute mold in this set. I would have liked this set a whole lot more if it had been diversified and included a Cobalt Jackal and a Cobalt Elite Ascetic or any more interesting choices. Having two Brutes seems like overkill, especially when the old Brute mold that desperately needs to be retired is utilized. You can see the current Covenant Combat Cobalt Unit listings here, although I don’t imagine this set is going to fly off store shelves once it fully ships.

So far these 2013 Halo Mega Bloks Combat Unit sets have only been sighted on the west coast (California), but I’d expect the sets to slowly make their way east in the next few weeks before being widely available toward the end of 2012. Keep your eyes peeled, Halo Mega Bloks collectors!